Reaccessible medical needle safety devices and methods

• US 20010021827A1
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Published: 09/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Specialized Health Products, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Thorne, Gale Jr., Thorne, David L., Nelson, Mark, Ferguson, F. Mark
• Granted Patent: US 6,796,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2055 having gripping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3202 Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3275 being connected to the needle hub or syringe by radially deflectable members, e.g. longitudinal slats, cords or bands

Abstract

A retractable and extendable medical needle protective shield which provides opportunity for accessing and reaccessing a medical needle and associated sharpened needle tip and recovering the needle and tip for safety between accesses. The shield includes a needle guide which assures the needle tip is untouched by any part of the shield as the shield is displaced to cover and uncover the needle. A releasible latch is provided to guard against inadvertent removal of the protective shield between accesses. An unreleasible latch is also provided to secure the shield relative to the latch preparatory to final disposal.

Claims

1. A safety apparatus for shielding a medical needle, said apparatus comprising:

a hollow bore cannula securely affixed in a hub and having at least one sharpened tip to form the medical needle;

a part hingedly joined to said hub, said part comprising an elongated shield which comprises a plurality of serially interconnected substantially rigid segments each of which is interconnected to at least one adjacent segment by an intersegment hinge, at least one segment comprising an open orifice, through which said cannula passes to form an axis of intersection about the cannula, and a channel along which the cannula is disposed when the shield is linearly extended, said shield and said hinges being disposed to permit usable access to said sharpened tip in a medical procedure and extending of the shield to a substantially planar disposition along said cannula whereat the cannula is disposed along the channel, said shield further comprising at least one releasible latching member which affixes the shield relative to the cannula, said shield and cannula, in combination, thereby forming a substantially rigid body which protectively encloses and denies access to said sharpened tip unless and until said releasible latching member is selectively actuated to permit refolding said shield and allowing reaccess to said needle and sharpened tip.

2. A safety apparatus according to

claim 1

further comprising a selectively actuated unreleasible latch and catch apparatus whereby said shield is unreleasibly affixed to said cannula to deny any further access to said needle and sharpened tip.

3. A safety apparatus according to

claim 1

wherein a most distal segment of said shield comprises a guide which is disposed about said cannula and which assures that the needle is directed into and out of being sheathed by said shield in such a manner that the needle tip is untouched by any part of the shield.

4. A safety apparatus according to

claim 1

wherein a segment which encloses said sharpened tip comprises a closure of its channel distal from the hub.

5. A safety apparatus according to

claim 1

wherein said shield and said hub, in combination, comprise a releasible latch and catch mechanism which keeps the shield, when folded, in a stable but selectively releasible state.

6. A safety apparatus according to

claim 1

wherein said shield is made as a single, integral molded part.

7. A method for enclosing and reaccessing a sharpened medical needle comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a safety apparatus for shielding the medical needle, said apparatus comprising a hollow bore cannula securely affixed in a hub and having at least one sharpened tip to form the medical needle and a part hingedly joined to said hub, said part comprising an elongated shield which comprises a plurality of serially interconnected substantially rigid segments each of which is interconnected to at least one adjacent segment by an intersegment hinge, at least one segment comprising an open orifice, through which said cannula passes to form an axis of intersection about the cannula, and a channel along which the cannula is disposed when the shield is linearly extended, said shield and said hinges being disposed to permit usable access to said sharpened tip in a medical procedure and extending of the shield to a substantially planar disposition along said cannula whereat the cannula is disposed along the channel, said shield further comprising at least one releasible latching member which affixes the shield relative to the cannula, said shield and cannula, in combination, thereby forming a substantially rigid body which protectively encloses and denies access to said sharpened tip unless and until said releasible latching member is selectively actuated to permit refolding said shield and allowing reaccess to said needle and sharpened tip;

(b) displacing said shield about said hub and cannula into a compact, folded state such that said needle tip is accessible for a medical procedure;

(c) at the end of a phase of said medical procedure unfolding and extending the shield about the needle and selectively actuating the releasible latching member; and

(d) reaccessing the needle by selectively releasing the releasible latching member and refolding the shield to the folded state.

8. A method for enclosing and reaccessing a sharpened medical needle according to

claim 7

comprising an additional step (c).

9. A method for enclosing and reaccessing a sharpened medical needle according to

claim 8

comprising an additional step (d).

10. A method for enclosing and reaccessing a sharpened medical needle according to

claim 7

comprising additional steps of providing an unreleasible latch/catch mechanism.

11. A method for enclosing and reaccessing a sharpened medical needle according to

claim 10

comprising an additional step of selectively activating the unreleasible latch/catch mechanism thereby disallowing further use of the needle and needle tip.